Crazy/Insane Shop Accidents

My uncle did something almost exactly like that. He was putting the finishing touches on his '56 Thunderbird. He fiddled with the new air cleaner assembly, the last thing before the car was done, and proudly drops the hood. It was at that moment when he realized he forgot to saw down the bolt that holds the air cleaner on. That was almost 30 years ago and to this day the car still sports that dent right on top of the hood scoop for everybody to see.

Another guy I know had a split rim heavy truck tire blow up on him while inflating it. Didn't leave any lasting marks but it did turn his stomach and chest various shades of blue, yellow and purple for a while. From that point on split rims got chained.

The worse I've done is put a glob of molten steel into my ankle while sitting on the ground welding up a quarter panel.

 

My Dad had a guy working for him at one time that was not too bright. The guy was tuning up his Chevelle in a barracks parking lot. He was trying to set the idle on the car in drive, but had no one to sit in the car with their foot on the brake.

His solution? He pulled it up to one of those concrete parking stops in the lot to keep it from rolling away, left it in drive, got out, and stood in front of it to set the idle speed. At one point, it started to die, so he blipped the throttle real quick. The car, of course, jumped over the concrete stop and pinned him to the car that was facing his in the lot.

He had a lot of injuries. He had difficulty walking after he got out of the hospital. One leg ended up shorter than the other. He was medically discharged from the service.

Slonaker

 

At the car dealership there were many, my favorite was Dangerous Doug who was doing work under the hood, left fuel line loose, customer picks up car,drives a short distance and "POOF" instant flame job. And for the rest of the story this customer was going to use the car for his wedding that weekend, of course that did'nt happen. But wait - theres more - Another time Dangerous Doug takes a wrench, puts it on the A/C line and turns it - well "BOOM" - as the guys who worked near him took off running for their lives not knowing what the hell had just happened - except that whatever it was happened in Dougs bay! I laughed so damn hard - in fact just typing here made me laugh so hard again just remembering that day. Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy

 

I was about 17 at the time and working as a shop laborer at an awning factory. Well one of my jobs was to grind the welds on the steel frames smooth so when you stretched the material over those spots, you couldn't see and high spots. Well one day I came in to work and the one shop guy had just finished hosing down the shop floor and there were 1 or 2 small low spots where the water had pooled maybe 1/18 of an inch. Well I get out the grinder and extension cord and start grinding on this 400lb metal frome on the floor. Well, (and here's where a few things come in to play to get me) what I didn't notice was that the extension cord I was using had the shielding slightly split in one spot. Wouldnt you know it that when I laid the frame on it's side I just so happened to pinch that part of the electric cord under the frame and in the puddle of water. All 300lbs of me shook for about 10 seconds before I managed to let go and stumble to the workbench. My jaw locked up, my neck was stiff, I had a ringy in my one ear, and I about shit my pants !!!!!!! Worst part was that I was there by myself.

 

And apparently those spin-on valve caps on compressed gas bottles are there for a reason. Same shop, different incident. Long story short............ 5ft argon bottle fell over and caught the edge of the straight I-Beam awning leveler and sheared the valve off. The bottle flew through the shop overhead door and buried itself 50ft away in the cinder block retaining wall 10FT from where I was stocking flat-bar !!!!!!!!!!

 

sittin on my creaper seat runnin a good grinder with paddle switch and safety! went to change the disc,droped the grinder and caught it between my legs, (oh and i was wearin shorts) no biggie didnt want to drop it! All was good till I grabed it and my leg must have been pushin in the safety! Ground the shit outa the back of my calf about an inch below the knee on the back side! That hurt!

 

DAMN there are some good tips for not what to do on this thread.

Watched a loose lipped buddy gab away while changing his oil on a lift. Then when done, without moving the oil catch extension barrel out lowered the car. Oh yeah that barrel propped it up pretty good. Front of the car stayed, rear dropped. He saved it but damn it was hairy!!!

In High School I worked at nights for Guidon Truck Covers. One night one of the clean up guys was hauling ass though the R & D shop with a fork lift with the 15ft long truck topper forks on it. He makes a turn right into the front of the truck they were doing for SEMA in two weeks. The forks entered the grill and went down the side of the block and came out in the bed!!!! Dude got fired on the spot!

Worst I've had is having a 8" grinder hook up and pop me in the chin. WOW they've got some RPM's and Torque!

 

One time i started welding with one glove,and my hand with out the glove was resting against the frame so when i started welding i got a nasty zap.You know the kind where you have to take a deep breath and feel your own pulse.Turns out the nut on the ground clamp came loose...im a quick learner

 

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on the shop floor, hunched over(with my legs spread wide open) underneath the rear fenderwell of my Olds, welding up the side plates for my step notch. It had been awhile since I had used the stick welder, but everthing was going just fine so far. Then all of the sudden, a good sized ball of slag hit the floor, rolled right between my legs, burnt through my coveralls, my pants and my boxers, then nailed me right in my BUTTHOLE. My asshole puckered up, I lost my breath, and damn near kicked my car off the jack stands while trying to get up off the floor to shake it out of my ass. I cringed everytime I went to bathroom for a couple of days afterward. Word from the wise, PROTECT YOUR THIRD EYE!

 

FAWK!!!! I just swallowed my gum from laughing so hard!!!!

 

One night at the old shop I was grinding out filler with a high speed sander squatting in the floor. The air hose I was using was an old one pieces together with barb fittings and hose clamps. I noticed it was leaking some while I was working, but I've used a ton of leaky airhoses so didn't think much of it.......minutes later the hose blows off the fitting and the screw part on the hose clamp catches me DIRECTLY in the left nut. I dropped to the floor and immediately crawled to the bathroom in tears. First time in my life I've had something hurt so bad it made me shit my pants . I couldn't even drive home, had to call my wife to come pick me up. Blue balls is way better than green, blue, and black ones.....

 

A few years ago, my father had just finished a camaro subframe and rebuilt 305 for his 41Chevy pu. we had the front clip off and was working on getting the engine running. It must have been 100 degrees outside and my father was wearing a 3-4XL T shirt untucked with the neck and sleeves cut out. Needless to say it was pretty baggy on him. We didn't have a timing light so decided to try to 'get it close' by sound. So I'm in the cab and my father is standing in front of the engine with his hand on the destributor (anyone see where this is going?). I hit the key and the fan grabs his shirt, winding it up and pulling him down. I saw what was happening immediatly and had already turned the key off so you could clearly hear him screaming "shut it off, shut it off". No one was hurt but it was pretty funny looking seeing him with both hands on the upper A-arms and his chin on the air cleaner. It took a good pair of scissors to cut him out.

A lesson I learned was don't wear cowboy boots outside when there is dew on the ground and then stand on a tube bumper of a truck when its running. Got a few stitches but can still count to 10.

Was welding a full cage in a buddy's jeep. He had good upholstry so we took a bunch of towels and soaked them down so hopefully any sparks wouldn't burn the cloth. I told him to keep an eye on things while I welded the upper posts. Next thing I know, my helmet is full of smoke and my left arm is engulfed in flames. After I scream like a girl and get the flames out, my buddy says "I saw you were on fire, but you told me to watch the seats!" I guess I'll be more specific in my instruction next time.

 

My most bizarre. Had just cleaned the front grill to do some touch up work and was drying it with the air hose. Noticed a small hole (like bb size) in the headlamp, but just filed it away under, "replace it later". As I was finishing up the air pointed to that hole. That headlight exploded like a bomb. Headlight glass lens is not shatterprooff or safety glass. Fortunately I was off to the side and it only caught one arm. It shredded my sleeve and my arm. Permanent scars up and down my hand and forearm. I am very careful around headlights.

 

I got a nose piercing, right through the septum, 10 years ago. Over those ten years, the size of it has gradually gone up so today it looks like something you'd see on Farmer Johns prize bull...big sumbitchin' piercing, that's what I'm saying. Anyway, the wife travels for work, so I'm under her hood, checking fluids and belts, hoses, etc. Drop a screwdriver down into the engine, it's sitting right there, hanging on the lower a-arm...reach for it, streeeetch waaay out, and ZZAAP! Damn nosering hits the positive battery terminal. Vision went gray, couldn't breathe, stumbled like 5-6 steps backwards then plopped down on my ass like a baby learning to walk...pissed myself like a baby too. I did take a lesson away from this though...make the wife check her own goddamn fluids!


Jack

 

this thread did me some good. i never wear safety glases (hate having anything on my face) but after all those eye stories i decided id just live with the minor discomfort and wear them. so tonight i was using my cut off wheel to cut out an area that was rusted and what do you know? i hugh chunk of rust hit me right in the glasses. glad i read this post!

 

Did this just before Bonneville 03. Hot drops from a torch in my shoe. Took 6 months to heal

 

My buddys 48 Chevy fell ON us when we were adding some lowering blocks. I was 3/4 of an inch from dyeing (rear end) And Dan was pined under the driverside leafs and fender. SCARRY! We didnt do much after we got out besides sit down with our hands and legs shaking uncontrolably. We are VERRY lucky to be alive.


And there is the time when I was welding my A frame and had some sparks light the stock seats on fire. let me tell you, greasy rags dont put out flames that easy.


Oh and in highschool this guy was casting alluminum BUUUUT he had a few drops of water in his little casting tub????.....And went to pour the molten alluminum in it and BOOOOM!!!!!!!! Burnt off his eye brows and put a nice big black spot on the 14 foot ceiling.

 

I got my finger caught in my belt sander ground the tip of my finger off and melted my fingernail to the under side of my finger.....I work in a hospital one time they brought a kid in that got his shopcoat caught in a grinder, well it pulled this kids face right down to the grinding wheel it ground right through his upper and lower lip and his teeth it looked like a half moon shape cut out of his face right under his nose....nasty...

 

Found my new posting quote! Best rule ever

Seriously though, lot of good tips and "don't do's" here. I'm gona be much more carefull from now on...

 

I remember once a fellow worker and I had trouble with the bandsaw we were using. The key that keeps the lower pulley and the motor shaft lined up fell out. I suggest we take it apart and fix it, but he disagrees. He has a shortcut, much faster - he will hold the belt, keeping the pulley still while I turn the saw on to rotate the motor shaft around to align with the pulley. Then we can place the key back in. Sooooo, he grasps the belt with both hands and tells me to "hit the switch". About two seconds later he yells "Awww #%*&$* my finger" and jumps back away from the saw, at which time I turn the switch off. He is standing there holding up a bloody stump on his left middle finger. I look down at the pulley and see a bulge between it and the belt - it's his fingertip. I retreive it and put it on ice then take him to the ER, but the doctor there says it can't be reattached. I never did see him again after that.

 

I have a camp stove that uses the small propane bottles.It appeared that the regulator assembly was clogged,,no flow.
So,,,,,,I get the rubber tipped blow-gun & attatch it to the air hose from my compressor.(160psi).
I put the tip of the blow gun up to the teeny,tiny hole in the fitting & fire away.
The regulator exploded,pieces hit a flourescent bulb & broke it,& shit went everywhere.I could not find ONE single piece of the aluminum regulator in my garage.
All I had left was a small brass fitting in my hand.No injurys.
Dont ever try this !

 

And then there was your thumb!!! Dumbass use pliers!

 

Dumbass, do an intro before you start making fun of others.

 

This is reviving an old thread, but it's a good one....

I was working on an old Bronco restoration that I did several years ago. I had it in my driveway and was just checking the oil before I left for the afternoon. I saw a loose exhaust manifold bolt and went into the garage to get a wrench. The truck was REALLY tall, so it was easier to crawl under it to access the bolt. It'll just take a sec, so no need to block the tires or anything, right?

As I was positioning myself to reach the bolt, I bumped something in the linkage and it took the transmission out of gear. It took off down the driveway with my under it. Of course, I was reaching up into the engine compartment, so the front end caught the back of my head and I was being folded up, and dragged down a concrete driveway. Somehow, I got myself together quickly enough to scamper out the side and the truck rolled all the way into the street and came to a stop when it hit the neighbor's curb.

I was SURE my neck was broken, so I laid there in the driveway trying not to move. My kids were really young at the time - maybe 3 or 4. When they came around with my wife and were waiting for the ambulance to come, one of my kids looked at the Bronco and then looked all around on the driveway. He then came over and squatted down beside me and said, "Where are the blocks for the wheels?"

I taught them all the safety rules well, but didn't listen to my own advise!

Thankfully, no broken neck, just some minor disc damage and some major road rash on my back.

 

Not an auto shop accident but we'll just call it "trying to put 10lbs of crap into a 5lb bucket".

 

I was runnin this service station in Milwaukee and one of my mechanics was bringin' in this handicap equipted car with control paddles on the steering wheel...He lined up the car with the alignment rack.. Hit the gas too much.. went flyin up the lift..launched the car off the other end of the lift...throught the alignment machine...the machine went flyin across the garage hitting another mechanics tool box and taking out him...and the car went out the other end of the garage....

I was workin at Discount Tire Co. and this old man dropped off a trailer with his boat on it...some lady backed up into it with one of those fastback lookin caddys... the trailer got knocked off the block and went rollin right up the ass up the trunk and stopped on the rear window....

 

Lets see.....swivel impact came off the gun and left a nice scar just to the left of my nose,a 55 Merc hood came down and left a scar across my nose "doc glued the end of my nose back on",right middle finger got blood poisoning from a steel sliver "has to be dislocated to close hand",steel banding ripped through my pants and left a 4 inch scar just to the left of my nuts,lastly I was cutting a seized bearing off of a spindle and felt I was getting warm.....looked down and was fully on fire! Customer standing there didn,t say a word.....good thing it didn,t do any lasting damage!

 

Wow 8 pages and no battery story

years back pulled up at the sitters to pick up my daughter
in the wife's mini van when got back in wouldn't start . Pop
hood corroded battery terminal . ask sitters husband for wrench
and terminal cleaner and go to work loosening terminal when daughter starts crying so take her out and back to sitter walking up to see sitters husband yanking hard on batt cable to remove when
BOOOOM all I could see were blue flames sounded like a shot gun blast . Iwas wearing glasses so did o.k so I thought . The husband is
6"2" 280 LBS RUNNING around yard screaming cuz his corneas
are burning from acid . I tackle him and turn the garden hose on in his face while the sitter calls 911 . sitter come out and sees both of us in sorry shape and freaks out and keeps asking me if I'm ok
which seems odd cuz it's her husband with the burned eyes
I finally figure it out when the medics show and take over care of the husband they slam a big wad of gauze over my face and
ask me to sit down . Did'nt realize in my panic that I had a large piece of plastic from battery stuck in my eyebrow down into my eye socket 2inches long half in half out . somehow missed the eye
husband bandaged for 3 weeks while corneas healed
saftey glasses while playing with batteries highly recommeded
Mark

 

Bodyman at the shop I'm working at turns over an open gal thinner can on his bench, spilling lacquer thinner all over bench, floor and him. Gets pissed and throws what he has in his hand, his torch striker. I look up to see a screaming fireball run out the back door.
Niebors working on his 4x4 on his steep driveway, he's under it, no blocks, no e-brake, just in park. No biggy, he just changing the u-joints. 12.50-33 tire tread across the chest.
Little o/t. Plumber friend is on top of a 12' ladder. Ladder slips and he falls to the floor, feet first. Would of been OK if his helper hadn't stood a sledge hammer up under the ladder. Handle went about 8" in right between the legs, we started calling fim the human popcicle after that.
Although all these guys spent some serious hospital time, luckily they all recovered with no major problems.

 

A little of topic but still injury related/funny. I was in my doctors office which happens to be one of those like worker injury/ ready care facilities in the lobby in the chair right next to the door. The door opens and this dude comes in with a cop right behind him. This guys head is covered with dried up caked on blood, his whole side is all torn up and he has a bunch of leaves and mud on him. I almost knocked everyone over jumping out of my chair and getting away from him thinking get this guy to an emergency room. The poor girl behind the desk looks up and throws her chair back, jumping on the phone and making a call. The whole staff starts to run around and the main doctor comes flying out into the lobby, im thinkin something must have happened outside and the cop drug the guy in there to get emergency medical attention. Im mean this guy lookes nasty. The cop quickly stands forward and lets everyone know everything is OK, the guy is just an actor in a terrorist attack drill with the police department and he only cut his hand. The rest was fake.